Most employees work hard to impress their boss. They work hard for better job reviews, higher salaries and more preferential treatment. There are times when a boss or employer in Minnesota may take a friendly relationship too far and make an employee feel uncomfortable with the way they talk or act around them. If the employee feels they are in a situation that involves sexual harassment, they may fear telling their story without the necessary proof to back up their claim. Many feel if they tell their story, they will lose their job or be ostracized in the workplace.
After a lower court ruled that three women did not have grounds to sue their employer because they voluntarily quit and the employer harassed both men and women, the Supreme Court reversed the decision and further clarified the law regarding when an employee can sue for sexual harassment.
According to the law in Minnesota, sexual harassment in a place of work can exist simply with an employer who creates a hostile environment for an employee. According to the MHRA law, an employer can’t use the responses of an employee to their advances as a factor in how they treat them and are not allowed to interfere with the work environment of the individual.
Working in a job with a boss that is sexually harassing an employee can be uncomfortable who all employees. Any employee who feels their job has been threatened by an employer who is sexually harassing them, or feels they are working in a hostile environment may benefit from consulting with an attorney.
Source: Business Management, “Minnesota Supreme Court clarifies workplace sexual harassment rules,” August 28, 2013